My parents are not the type to say I love you. Their love language is action-based. My dad has only said it a handful of times, but my mother? In my four 1 of living? No.
The 2 words are suspended（悬） in the air as she 3 the box lunch for me. She states, in an unmannerly tone, that I need to keep a balanced 4 .
I 5 it bothered me, but like some things in life, you don't 6 what you never had. I have 7 their unspoken contract of communicating affection. I now just pay 8 attention to what my parents do for me 9 what they say.
Once in a TV show, the actor on-screen told another she loved him. It came out mechanically（机械地）, which indicates it's 10 to say, even for actors.
I often heard people saying "I love you." My 6-year-old niece said it in a 11 way. Yet, her understanding of love was as deep as her age 12 : simple and pure. I made it a point to say it back because, at that age, our caregivers 13 how we handle our relationships as adults. My nephew, two years old, would look at me and struggled to get the words out, but I waited in 14 .
My favourite way to say those three words was from my husband, who would say it with a shy and understanding smile that slowly opened my heart. My heart had been in hibernation（冬眠） for a long time; it's been a big 15 in my recovery.
